Learn how to play the "I Feel Fine" riff' by The Beatles on guitar!

In this lesson, we'll learn how to play the awesome Beatles riff I Feel Fine on the guitar. It's great fun to play, and It's an effective guitar technique workout. :)

This riff is excellent practice for intermediate Grade 5+ guitar players. You'll encounter barre chords, Dominant chords, some flick-offs, and a tasty fingerpicking pattern! Grab your guitar, and get ready to rock!

🎸 Curious what guitar I'm playing? I’m using the Gretsch Malcolm Young model, not very Beatles themed but the closest I have to the 335. It's plugged into the old Super Champ amplifier.

Chord sequence

We're starting the riff with a D Barre chord up at the tenth fret of your guitar neck. To play it, you'll first need to place your whole chord down. Your fingers might feel tight, but they'll feel better with time!

For this E shape barre chord, you're picking the sixth string, then the fourth string twice. Follow with a flick off with your little finger, and pluck the fifth string. Once you're done with this D chord, you're moving down to the third fret, which might be a bit of a stretch.

💡 This riff's chord sequence jumps around the fretboard a lot. Ease into it; start with a slow tempo and increase your speed as you go!

Fingerpicking Pattern

For the fingerpicking, play downpicks on beats 1,2,3,4. Your up-picks will happen between the notes on the 'And' count. You'll have to coordinate that with the flicks you're doing with your fretting hand! As soon as you put your little finger down on the 12th fret, you're doing an up-pick!

Make sure you keep that hand moving at all times - it's the best trick to get in the flow of things! If you watch the video of the Beatles, you'll notice that Goerge's hand is doing the same thing.

Make sure you listen to the riff to understand the melody and rhythm. Explore on your own and have a go at playing the whole song! Transcribing it will be a great way to get all those tasty elements in. :)

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